A dull ache throbbed in my head as I stirred. My body—or whatever was left of it—felt stiff, heavy, unresponsive. The air around me was damp, carrying a faint metallic tang that made my throat dry. I shivered, realizing the ground beneath me was cold and uneven, jagged stone digging into my skin.
Darkness pressed in from all sides. Not the comforting kind of darkness you find in your room at night. This was oppressive, suffocating—like it had weight. Like it was alive.
"Where... where am I?" My voice was barely a whisper, lost in the oppressive silence.
I forced myself to sit up. Every movement was sluggish, like my body didn't quite know how to obey anymore. My heart—or the memory of one—pounded in my chest. Excitement and fear twisted inside me. I was alive—or something close to it—and I was in a new world. But where?
The cold stone beneath my feet felt solid. I took a hesitant step forward, and suddenly, a notification blinked in my mind. Bright, sudden, like a flare in the night:
[Welcome, Traveler.]
Traveler?
Before I could question it, another notification appeared, accompanied by a soft chime:
[Initializing System... Complete.]
[Cheat Activated: Multiverse Travel System.]
A jolt of adrenaline surged through me. This was it. My cheat. The thing Raphael had promised. My ticket to greatness—or disaster.
"System?" I said aloud, still trying to wrap my head around what was happening.
A calm, emotionless voice echoed in my mind, clear and precise:
[Greetings, Host. I am the Multiverse Travel System, your guide and companion. Your current location is: Hel, the Realm of the Dead.]
Hel. The name hit me like a punch to the gut. The Hel. The land of the dead. Ruled by Hela, the Goddess of Death.
"Odin's daughter..." I whispered, a cold shiver running down my spine.
I swallowed hard, my excitement now tempered with the terrifying realization of where I was. This wasn't just some mythical realm; it was a prison. A place where one of the most dangerous beings in existence had been sealed away by Odin himself.
"System, what can you do?" I asked, my voice low, almost a whisper.
[Primary Functions:
Multiverse Travel: Traverse to any known universe.
Data Assimilation: Provide detailed information on the current world and its inhabitants.
Inventory: Store and retrieve items.
Status: Display Host's current abilities and attributes.]
My mind raced. This was bigger than I'd imagined. With a tool like this, I could go anywhere, do anything. But first, I had to survive this place.
"Show me my status," I said.
A translucent screen flickered into existence in front of me, glowing faintly in the dark:
[Status]
Name: Kael Alaric
Level: 1
Abilities: Multiverse Travel (Locked)
Strength: Low
Speed: Low
Endurance: Low
Intelligence: Average
Luck: Questionable
"Questionable luck? Seriously?" I muttered under my breath.
[Luck recalculated based on current circumstances.]
I sighed, realizing there was no point arguing with a machine. Instead, I focused on my surroundings. The faint sound of dripping water echoed in the distance, the air thick with the scent of decay. I wasn't alone here—that much was clear.
"System, where's the exit?" I asked, dreading the answer.
[No exits detected. Current location: Hela's Prison.]
Of course. Why would there be an easy way out of a place like this?
I took another cautious step forward. The shadows around me twisted unnaturally, like they were alive, watching. My footsteps echoed too loudly, each sound bouncing back distorted.
Then I saw it. A faint, flickering green light in the distance.
Curiosity and fear twisted inside me. Every instinct screamed at me to turn back, but something inside urged me to move forward. I had no choice, really. Not if I wanted answers.
As I approached the light, it grew brighter, revealing a vast chamber. Jagged obsidian pillars stretched from the floor to the ceiling, their surfaces etched with glowing runes. In the center of the room sat a figure, her presence dominating the space like a storm. A throne of bones and stone loomed beneath her.
Hela.
Her black armor gleamed in the green glow, and her piercing gaze locked onto me before I even stepped into the chamber.
"Well," she said, her voice sharp, full of disdain. "What do we have here? Another one of Odin's pitiful creations, sent to amuse me?"
Her lips curled into a predatory smile. My heart thundered in my chest. I could feel the weight of her gaze, the coldness of her power. I wanted to run, but my legs refused to move.
"I... I'm not from Odin," I stammered. "I'm just... passing through."
She tilted her head, studying me with interest, her smile widening. "Passing through? In my realm? Oh, little one, you've made a grave mistake."
And just like that, I knew I was in over my head.